19 October 2010
I woke up very early but had no idea what time it was but suspected as it  was not much past one o’clock. The nights are the worst time for me, particularly here were I cannot listen to the wireless as I do at home, for fear of disturbing Mick.. Also, my breathing is not getting any easier and is particularly bad when I lie flat on my back. I slightly improved the situation last night by using a third pillow. The other problem was that from about three o’clock onwards I wanted to have a pee but did not like to wake Mick who was sleeping soundly in the other bed but, to give him his due, he had made it clear that he really didn’t mind.
Although we got to breakfast at. a respectable 7.30 the room was already humming with guests.. I cannot remember it being so busy, so early in the morning, in any of the 12 years since I have been coming here. We saw both Tim Boda and his right-hand man, Sam who informed us that they were having a good season, something approaching 80% occupancy, which is very satisfactorily from their point of view. Most of the guests seemed to be European so, so much for the credit crunch.
We had intended to spend an hour or so,, in the early morning, on our platform across the lagoon but somehow the time slipped away in messing about with our computers and waiting for someone to fix the television and it all became too late. In any event, after Michael had carried out a reconnoitre he decided that the access to the platform, which was mainly grass, would be too difficult with the wheelchair. However, imagine Michael’s surprise when who should be find sitting on the platform but John and Geraldine Barlow, two people from Cornwall, with whom we had struck up a friendship a couple of years ago. In the end I made do with half an hour sitting in wheelchair outside our room. Where, in times past, I have been happy to lie in the baking sun, hour after hour, I now realise I must take it much more gently..
After our four o’clock gin and tonic or rather, in Mick’s case, a long whiskey on rocks, we picked up our driver at the reception, at 5.45 to go into town. On the way to the restaurant we stopped off at our favourite tailor, Danush of Royal Boss, whom, I have patronised over the past 10 years.. I took him four pairs of trousers to be copied, Velcro instead of the fly and again more Velcro and loops at the top. Danush was horrified when I told him that instead of the 36 inch waist, that he had made for me last time, these four pairs of trousers were to have the a 40 inch waist. In addition, I asked him for a pocket in the inside of the left leg, sitting 6 inches above the hem, large enough and deep enough to accommodate a partially filled leg bag. This is in anticipation of wearing a leg-bag, connected to the plastic pouch on the new incontinence pants which were provided to me recently, by Sue. This will take the place of the kilt in the colder weather at Worlington!.
We then drove to the Temple car park where I was downloaded into the wheelchair. We had decided this evening, to return to what was undoubtedly the best restaurant of its kind in Hua Hin, the Bam Bam, until last year, when it seemed to take a dive. In the old days we  would have to wait 10 minutes or so to get a table, from one or other of the expats, as evidence of its superiority.
This evening, apart from a rather sad looking, middle-aged, gentleman, we were the only customers there. This said it all. The food certainly was  not up to snuff. The squid was distinctly rubbery and certainly not fresh. We made short shrift of this rather disappointingly meal  and picked up our taxi to return to our hotel to watch our evening video.